Spring Training Online

Nov21

New for 2009: Camelback Ranch

The new Glendale (Az.) spring home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox will be named Camelback Ranch, as the teams (for now) eschew a naming-rights deal. The announcement was made by Dodger Owner and Chairman Frank McCourt and White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.

"Camelback Ranch in Glendale soon will be known as the crown jewel of the Cactus League," said White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. "Starting this spring, baseball fans will be able to enjoy a world-class complex that features the Cactus League's largest ballpark with state-of-the-art amenities and one of the most scenic environments in all of sports and entertainment."

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Nov03

Red Sox signs deal to keep spring training in Lee County

After months of flirtation with Sarasota, the Boston Red Sox decided to go with the sure thing and signed a 30-year lease to keep spring training in Lee County in a new facility. Sarasota had aggressively courted the Red Sox and were close to a deal until officials decided to demand $10 million upfront from the Sox -- money the Sox were not willing to pay. The deal calls for Lee County to construct a new complex with 9,999 seats and six practice fields at no cost to the team past normal market rent of $500,000 annually; the county will pay for all $80 million of the price tag. The actual location hasn't been determined: the county has issued a call for 80 acres of land to developers, who would donate the land to the county and then retain development rights for the remainder. The early favorite for a site is between Bonita Beach Road and Daniels Parkway, near Interstate 75.  The plan is for the new facility to open in time for Spring Training 2012.

With the Red Sox seemingly locked into Lee County, the attention will turn next to the Baltimore Orioles, who have been in contact both with Sarasota and Fort Myers officials about a potential move to those cities from Fort Lauderdale as well as receiving an offer to lease Dodgertown and Holman Stadium. The Orioles have some pretty good options. First, Sarasota officials seem receptive to use some of the $60 million allocated to the Red Sox to renovate Ed Smith Stadium for the O's; Sarasota is also a decent market that could also house an Orioles FSL team. The Orioles also know the market, housing their minor-league complex in Sarasota's Twin Lakes Park. Second, Fort Myers' City of Palms Park isn't a bad facility -- it's better than what the O's have in Fort Lauderdale Stadium -- and there's be a nice little synergy with the Twins, Red Sox and Rays all in the same market. Dodgertown represent the worst market for the O's, despite the offer of $13 million: the closest airports for Orioles fans are in Melbourne and Palm Beach (you certainly cannot fly direct from Baltimore to Vero Beach, but you can from Baltimore to Fort Myers and Sarasota), and it may take more than $13 million to raise Holman Stadium -- quaint but rundown -- to the level needed to generate some serious revenue.

 
Sep22

White Sox propose youth academy to replace spring training

In an effort to break their lease for Tucson Electric Park and move spring training operations to a new ballpark in Glendale, the Chicago White Sox have proposed instituting a year-round youth baseball tournament facility and youth academy at the expense of the White Sox and run by Major League Baseball. The White Sox would pay to upgrade existing playing fields and adding four more to the Tucson Electric Park complex. The youth academy would be centered on local youth and their development, focusing on lower-income and minority kids, given them training and guidance at no cost. The expanded facility would then be poised to snare more baseball tournaments year-round.

The youth-baseball field is already a crowded one -- though a lucrative one, admittedly -- and MLB is developing expertise in the area by launching other youth academies across the nation. The White Sox and a Scottsdale consulting firm say the economic impact of this proposal would be $46 million -- far more than the $30 million annually brought to the area by spring training. The study assume four dozen youth tournaments would each bring in about $1 million in spending. Then there's the issue of possibly expanding the scope of the proposal to include college squads.

But the bigger issue is the impact on the quality of life in Tucson, because if the White Sox leave you can bet the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies will be leaving as well. Both teams have clauses in their contracts allowing them to bail on Tucson should there be fewer than three teams training in the area, and both have explored moving spring-training operations to Phoenix. And there are many residents who would rather keep spring training, even at an economic loss. So the decision on whether to let the White Sox go is an important one indeed. More from the Arizona Star. The Tucson Citizen editorialists are skeptical.

 
Sep22

Indian River County, Vero Beach: We're close to deal with Orioles

Indian River County and Vero Beach officials say they're close to landing the Baltimore Orioles as a tenant for the now-vacated Dodgertown spring-training complex, and they expect an announcement by the end of this week or next week. Keep in mind they've been saying they're close to a deal with the Orioles for several weeks now, so the real issue is if they're really close. The deal, as it's been described to us, involves the lease of the Dodgertown spring-training complex to the Orioles, and the redevelopment of the former golf course next to Dodgertown for use as a Ripken Baseball Academy. What we've also been told, however, is that the Orioles are waiting to see what happens with Boston and Fort Myers before making a final decision; indeed, the government entities only recently sent another updated proposal to the Baltimore brain trust. And the continual proclamations by Indian River County and Vero Beach officials about a deal being just around the corner makes one believe the Orioles are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

 
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